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US military honoured in secret by Britain

LE

The government has been secretly awarding honours to senior figures in the US military and foreign businessmen with lucrative public sector contracts. The Observer has obtained a Foreign Office list detailing all non-British citizens who have been awarded honours since 2003 - the first time the complete three-year dossier has been released.

It has emerged that Riley Bechtel, billionaire boss of the US-based Bechtel Corporation, which has won big transport and nuclear contracts in Britain and made a fortune from the Iraq war, was secretly awarded a CBE in 2003.

The list shows that under Straw the Foreign Office awarded honours to several senior US military personnel involved in the Iraq invasion. These included the US military commander General Tommy Franks, known as 'Mr Shock and Awe' for his role in devising the battle plan for the 2003 invasion.

Others include Vice-Admiral Timothy Keating, who was in charge of all maritime forces involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom; Rear Admiral Barry Costello, commander of the Third Fleet and Task Force 55 during the Iraq invasion; Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Childress; and General Tad Moseley, chief of staff to the US Air Force.

It might seem naive of me, gallowglass, but I fail to see how any Septics could have made any contributions at all to life in the UK in the present day
Although it might be a ploy from Phoney Tony to bolster his position in the USA for his subsequent (and inevitable) career on the USA talk-walk circuit!

It might seem naive of me, gallowglass, but I fail to see how any Septics could have made any contributions at all to life in the UK in the present day
Although it might be a ploy from Phoney Tony to bolster his position in the USA for his subsequent (and inevitable) career on the USA talk-walk circuit!

I think you may have taken me up wrong Bugsy7 - I was specifically responding to frenchperson's dreary and painfully predictable conspirazoid posting. The Prime Minister has abused the Honours System (and its bigger brother, the House of Lords) to the point where it may as well be placed on EBay for the highest bidder. I am of the opinion that this is indicative of either old-fashioned Labour disrespect for the institutions of the state, or good old-fashioned cronyism (though even by previous practitioners of such cronysim, it has to be said that Blair has set a new standard during his tenure).

War Hero

Can't see how this is news at all, it's happened for years. After OP GRANBY Gen Scharzkopf was given an honourary knighthood, and I seem to recall that a lot of other coallition commanders and political figures got various honours too.